Star technology an eye opener

14th May 2009

Medics and astronomers at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh are working together to apply technology used to detect stars to treat diseases in the human eye.

Adaptive optics is used by astronomers to cut out atmospheric turbulence around stars to produce clear images. Now they are collaborating with medical researchers to try to adapt that knowledge to smaller equipment that produces clearer pictures of the retina. The hope is that it may also assist in the early detection of many diseases including Alzheimer's and diabetes.